Retractible fastener for sport shirt



July 31, 1956 BEREGOW ET AL RETRACTIBLE FASTENER FOR SPORT SHIRT Filed Oct. 27, 1952 54. l'mnentors United States Patent RETRACTIBLE FASTENER FOR SPORT SHIRT Alex Beregow, N orwalk, and Harry Berigow, East Norwalk, Conn.

Application October 27, 1952, Serial No. 317,104

2 Claims. (Cl. 2-128) This invention relates to a garment, particularly sport shirts or blouses, and has for an object to provide a retractible button loop for fastening the neck opening at the collar. In a common type of sport shirt, for example, a turned-down collar is permanently attached to the body of the shirt, the body being open at the front and overlapped with a row of buttons on the under or inner portion and a corresponding row of buttonholes in the facing or outer portion for closing the front of the shirt. The top button is located under one wing of the overturned collar, and on the edge of the opposite overlapped portion is fastened a loop which projects outwardly from this edge, which, when the collar is closed, is looped over the button, but when the collar is open and worn without a tie the loop is disconnected from the button and the flaps are turned back over the opposite body portions of the shirt. In this latter position the loop projects from the edge of the fiap in plain view and mars the appearance of the shirt.

It is therefore another object of the present invention to so construct and mount this loop that it may be retracted into the fold or flap of the shirt out of sight when the shirt is worn in the open position, but may be drawn outwardly to the projected position to loop over the button when the shirt is worn in the closed position.

Another object is to so mount the loop that it may be readily and easily shifted between the retracted and exposed positions.

With the foregoing and other objects in view, we have devised the construction illustrated in the accompanying drawing forming a part of this specification. It is, however, to be understood the invention is not limited to the specific details of construction and arrangement shown, but may embody various changes and modifications within the scope of the invention.

In this drawing:

Fig. 1 shows a sport type of shirt as worn in the open position with my improved device shown in dotted lines;

Fig. 2 is a similar view showing it in the closed position;

Fig. 3 is an enlarged detail View of the flap on the loop side of the garment with the top portion raised to more clearly show the construction and with the loop withdrawn into its retracted position;

Fig. 4 is a plan view of this flap with the loop drawn out to the extended position and parts broken away to more clearly show the construction;

Fig. 5 is a bottom view of the loop, and

Fig. 6 is an enlarged detail section substantially on line 66 of Fig. 3 with the top layer of the flap in the normal position, and on substantially line 6-6 of Fig. 4 with the loop drawn back into the retracted position.

A portion of the body of the shirt is shown in Figs. 1 and 2 comprising a lower or inner portion 10 and the overlapped upper or outer facing portion 11 secured together by the usual row of buttons 12 on the lower member 10 through corresponding buttonholes in the overlapped outer portion 11. The turned-down collar is indicated at 13 having the two wings 14 and 15 at the front 7 2,756,432 Patented July 31, 1956.

secured at 13a to the top edges of the folded-over flaps 16 and 17. When the collar is worn in the closed position shown in Fig. 3, the flap 16 is folded inwardly. to the right and the flap 17 folded to the left over it to the position shown in Fig. 2, and the loop projecting from the edge 18 of the flap 17 is looped over a button 19 secured to the body of the shirt under the collar wing 14. Then when the flaps are opened as shown in Fig. .1, this loop will project in plain view from the edge 18 of the flap and presents an unsightly appearance. In this improved arrangement the loop indicated at 20 is mounted in the upper edge of the flap 17 so that it may he slid either outwardly to the projected position, as shown in Figs. 2 and 4, for looping over the button 19 when the shirt is worn closed, as shown in Fig. 2, or may be retracted into the flap 17 and out of sight, as shown in Figs. 1 and 3, when the shirt is worn open as shown in Fig. 1.

In the ordinary construction the flap 17 is composed of two superposed thicknesses of cloth comprising the outer portion 21 which is an extension of the body 11 of the shirt and is on the outside when the shirt is worn closed, as in Fig. 2, but is on the under side of the flap 17 when it is folded outwardly to the open position shown in Fig. l, and the overlapped portion 22 which is the under side when the shirt is in the closed position of Fig. 2 and the outer side when in the open position of Fig. 1. These two portions are merely folded one over the other along the free edge 23, but at the top edge 18 the two edges are folded inwardly as shown at 21a and 22a of' Fig. 6 and stitched together and to the section 21 by a short line of stitching, as shown at 24, but leaving the free edges detached for a short distance to form an opening 25 between these edges. The folded portions 21:: and 22a are cut longer than normal, as shown in Fig. 3, to give sufficient support for the loop 20.

This loop 20 is formed of a piece of tape or preferably a narrow strip of material the same as that of the body of the slrirtand folded upon itself, as indicated at 26, and the free or selvage edges stitched together as shown at 27. Then these overlapped stitched strips are folded back upon themselves as shown at 28 and their free ends stitched as shown at 29 to a narrow tape 30, thus providing an open buttonhole loop or slot 31 between these folded-over side portions. This loop is mounted between the folded-in portions 21a and 22a, and the stitching 24 passes through this opening or slot 31 in the loop. This slot or opening 31 is of sufficient length so that the free or outer end of the loop may be drawn outwardly'through the opening 25 in the edge 18 of the flap 17, as shown in full lines in Fig. 4, and dotted lines in Figs. 2 and 6. In this position the loop may be looped over the button 19 under the collar wing 14 to secure the shirt in the closed position of Fig. 2, the stitching 24 coacting with the inner'end of the slot 31 in the loop to prevent wtihdrawal of the loop further than the holding position.

Now, if the shirt is to be worn in the open position of Fig. 1, the loop 20 is merely drawn back into the flap 17 through the opening 25 and between the double thick ness of the two overlapped portions 21 and 22 of this flap. This may be done in various ways, but preferably to facilitate this withdrawal the tape 30 is made of sufiicient length and passed through a slot 32 formed in the overlapped portion 22 but located sufliciently far down the body of the skirt so as to be on the inner side and therefore out of sight and covered up when the shirt is worn either in the open or closed position, as shown in Figs. 1, 2 and 4. This slot is preferably located inwardly of the buttonhole 33 for the top button 12 at the front of the shirt, and the free end may have stitched to it a tab 34 forming a hand grip and also an enlargement providing a stop on the end of the tape to prevent its being drawn back through the slot 33. Thus in retracting the loop from the position of Fig. 4, all the wearer has to do is to grasp the tab 34' and pull it downwardly to withdraw the loop 20'back into the retracted position within the flap 17, as shown in Figs. 1 and 3 and'the full lines of Fig. 6, this tab 34 and the free endof the tape drawn through being effectively covered so as to be out of sight when the front facing of the shirt is buttoned over the top button 12. When it is desired towear theshirt closed, as in Fig.2, the loop 20 can be either pushed out through the opening or its free end grasped by the thumb and finger and drawn outwardly to the projected position for looping over the button 19. The short line of stitching 24 through the slot or opening 31 in the'loop acts as a limit stop to limit both outward movement of the loop by coaction With the inner end of the slot when the loop is shifted to the projected position, or to coact with the outer end of the slot 31 to limit its inward move- I rnent when the loop is drawn to the retracted position.

To preventthe folded-in portions 21a and 22a being drawn through the opening 25 the stitching 24, as shown in Fig. 6, is carried through the portion 21 of the flap to tie these two folded-in portions to the portion 21 of-the flap. This stitching 24 is, however, not carried through the portion 22 so it does not appear on the outer side of outwardly folded flap 17.

It will be apparent from the above that this provides a simple and effective arrangement for the button loop of a collar of the sport type of shirt, which may be projected to loop over the securing button when the shirt is worn in the closed position, and the shirt can be worn in this position in the usual manner. However, when the shirt is worn in the open position, this loop, instead of beingin plain view projecting from the edge of the outwardly turned flap of the shirts, may be easily and quickly withdrawn to a position entirely within this flap where it is out of sight and does not show at all, greatly improving the appearance of the shirt when worn in this open position.

Having thus set forth the nature of our invention, we claim:

1. In a shirt of the character described comprising a body including overlapped front portions secured by fasteners and a turned-down collar secured to the tops thereof having Wing portions at the front, the portions of said overlapped front portions between the collar and said fasteners comprising flaps arranged to be worn in overlapped relation when the collar is closed and outwardly foldable in opposite directions when the collar is in the open position, a button on one of said front portions beneath one wing of the collar, the flap on the opposite and outer of said front portions comprising inner and outer superposed thicknesses of fabric with an opening between them at the upper edge of the latter flap and with edge portions of the fabric at opposite sides of said opening being folded inwardly between said thicknesses, a buttonhole loop mounted between said folded-in portions and movable outwardly through said opening to a position where it projects from the flap to expose the outer portion of the loop outwardly of the flap in position to be looped over the button when this flap is in the overlapped closed position over the inner flap, said loop being also movable in said opening in the opposite direction to shift it to a position substantially out of sight within the outer flap when this flap is in the outwardly folded open position, and stitching extending between said folded-in portions of the outer flap and through the opening in the loop and cooperating with opposite ends of the opening to retain the loop in the different positions.

2. In a shirt of the character described comprising a body including overlapped front portions secured by fasteners and a turned-down collar secured to the tops thereof having wing portions at the front, the portions of said overlapped front portions between the collar and said fasteners comprising flaps arranged to be worn in overlapped relation when the collar is closed and outwardly foldable in opposite directions when the collar is in the open position, a button on one of said front portions beneath one Wing of the connected collar, the flap of the other of said front portions comprising superposed layers of fabric, a buttonhole loop on the latter flap between the layers of fabric, means mounting said loop so it is movable between a position substantially out of sight in the latter flap when this latter flap is in the outwardly folded open position and a position projecting sufiiciently from this latter flap to loop over the button whenthis latterflap is in the overlapped closed position over the other flap, the portion of the shirt having said second flap being provided with a slot in its inner layer spaced from this flap, a tape connected to the inner portion of the loop and extending through said slot,

and a tab on the free end of the tape forming a hand grip to draw on the tape and withdraw the loop into retracted position in the second flap.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,814,760 Miller July 14, 1931 1,963,004 Tucker June 12, 1934 2,345,764 May Apr. 4, 1944 2,425,091 Fisch Aug. 5, 1947 2,646,570 Rinehart et a1. July 28, 1953 

